[Graduation series] Graduates starting a bright career

It’s the time of year when impending university graduates start hitting the pavement in search of a career-launching job, and seniors at GDUFS are no exception. Here are three successful stories from graduates who choose the path to take up an occupation, which are a guiding light for all of us.

YANG Ximin: Opportunities favor only the prepared minds

Getting disoriented is a common situation among university students. Sometimes we are not that confident to seize an opportunity, saying ‘let it go’ and waiting for the next one, as if it is still too early to talk about the future. But how to get prepared before opportunities arise? The story from a P&G offer winner may be enlightening for this question.

YANG Ximin, a graduate from the Faculty of Chinese Language and Culture, got the offer from the Sales Department, P&G Company (Procter & Gamble). With the image as one of China’s best foreign employers, the company is particularly popular among university students. As a result, getting a P&G offer is equivalent to going through extremely fierce competition and standing out from thousands of candidates – It is indeed, a tiny chance.

YANG’s success is not at all by happenstance. “It has always been my dream offer, since the goal I set for myself in the very beginning, is to enter a consumer products company. Therefore, the internships and contests I participated in were chosen intentionally to pave ways for it”, said YANG. Hints of success started to show during her junior year, when she stood out from 32 participants and won the championship of Red Bull’s Campus Manager Sales Contest.

However, setting a goal suitable for oneself is not as easy as it seems. According to YANG, she had at one time paused and pondered between getting a job and studying abroad. But after extracurricular activities giving her insights of enterprises and positions, she figured out her answer: “Learning is a life-long process. It will never be too late to study after having a better understanding of both the personal and social demand during my career. So I made up my mind to take up an occupation after graduation.”

Apparently, the clear and potent goal plays a dominant role in YANG’s story. Her experience shows us that only if we get out of the comfort zone and take challenges as much as possible, can we figure out what we really want, and what suits us best.

LIN Jiahe: Try a wider range of internships before beginning a career

As a graduate from the Faculty of Chinese Language and Culture, LIN Jiahe decided to be an English teacher. Even though it is not related to her major, LIN didn’t choose this all by chance. Instead, it is a result of her making so many attempts. Before she was finally determined to be a teacher, she had tried out a lot: “‘One’s meat is another one’s poison.’ Listening blindly to others’ opinions is definitely not desirable. I have been interning as a translator for some time, and I also tried being an English teaching assistant. However, among all these internships, the experience of an English teacher obviously attracted me most! Therefore, I didn’t hesitate to be an English teacher.” For those who already have a clear goal of what to do, she also advised them to expose themselves to different areas, which may result in a pleasant surprise.

However, LIN emphasized that it is crucial to treat an internship as a precious learning opportunity, and seize this chance to figure out which is most suitable as a career: “The sooner you find out your most wanted career, the better, because you can have more time to prepare for it, and thus make you more competitive.” As for freshmen and sophomores who are not yet at the period of internship, keeping their feet on the ground is also important: “Read more books and improve your thinking ability, and stick with what you love and spare no effort. Work hard at your professional classes and take active part in extra-curricular activities. Strive to do well in everything you need to do.”

LIN Jiahe is ready to take off, ready to embrace the bright future as an outstanding teacher.

CHEN Donglin: Know yourself and challenge yourself

CHEN Donglin, a graduate from the School of English for International Business, got an offer from PwC (Price waterhouse Coopers: one of the top accounting firms around the word, which is known for its professional service in auditing, human resources and trading fields). Although he didn’t plan out his life very early, CHEN decided to go into the world based on careful consideration: “I want to learn more via working and find what I really need and love.”

When recalling the main reason why PwC chose him, CHEN thinks his command of English and the ability to learn makes him stand out from thousands of applicants. As an English major student, he performs strongly in English and he apparently gave full play to this advantage during his job search. However, he was also aware of his weaknesses such as lacking the related professional knowledge compared to students majoring in accounting. That’s why he prepared and learned a lot from various channels when he was studying at GDUFS. And his efforts paid off when he showed his strong abilities during the interview.

Apart from knowing himself and getting prepared, CHEN also participated in both school and social activities and addressed the challenges involved in them when studying at GDUFS. He encourages us university students to do so because he thinks that social practice can help broaden our horizon and get acquainted with lots of friends, especially senior schoolmates, who can offer advice when we get confused and recommend reliable internships when the opportunity arises. He also considers social practice as a good way to have a better understanding of social needs and thus make prompt adjustments to the changing environment. “Don’t impose any restrictions on yourself; instead, find your real interest and address challenges. Only in this way can you overcome difficulties and grow up quickly,” said CHEN.